Wedding Bliss {Part 1: Preparations}

Oh, what a beautiful day it was! 

Yes, the spring weather was beautiful. Warm, sunny, low humidity. The best you can ask for in the Mid-Atlantic! But it was also a beautiful day of excitement, rejoicing, and love! A day to bring glory to our Lord for His beautiful plan!

I have decided to divide the wedding day photos among several posts. I promised you photos, but here are so many wonderful pictures and beautiful moments, it seemed overwhelming to do it all at once.

Instead?

Wedding overload!

Wedding photos were taken by our dear friend, Frances. She has taken many photos for our family through the years (you can see some ~here~ and ~here~ and ~here~ and ~here~). About the wedding photos, Frances made this remark, " . . . when you are photographing people you love, it is very easy to see the moments through the lens of your heart." These photos were truly a gift from her heart and we couldn't be more pleased or more grateful! 

After weeks of planning and organizing and meetings and tending to seemingly endless details,  on Wedding Day, Kati was surprisingly calm. Last minute tasks had been delegated to generous friends and family, allowing us to revel in the joy of the day!

After our hair and make-up session at the salon, we had planned a simple lunch of bite-sized morsels (cheese cubes, small crackers, grapes) . . . so that our freshly made up lips would not be smudged. Kristin had brought a variety of drinks and (also thinking of our lips) straws for sipping. My sister brought coffees.

The bridal party gathered at our house to get ready for the big event!

Our house was full of wedding garments . . .

. . . and hair styling . . .

. . .  and family . . .

. . .  and love.

Frances took the ladies outside for a few sweet "before" pictures.

"In all the land were found no women so beautiful as the daughters of Job." 

(I think that Ron might feel a little like Job. ♥ ) 

Then we came back inside to wait until it was time to drive over to the church.

(The last two photos were taken by me . . . just before we drove to the church.) 

Happy anticipation was in the air! 

Other parts of the story . . . 

Wedding Bliss {Part 2: The Ceremony}
Wedding Bliss {Part 3: The People}
Wedding Bliss {Part 4: The Celebration}

In One Month's Time

It was a month of many highlights, lots of blessings, and huge changes! What a whirlwind! Would you like to go along with me through these past 30-ish days? 

Here we go . . . from May 18th to June 18th! (Fasten your seatbelts!)

May 18: Kati married Andrew!!

Here's the first photo of our new family of twenty!

May 19: Bekah's piano recital

Here and there during the past month: Making Kati's bedroom over into a guest room

June 1: Bekah's voice recital

June 7: Bekah's last day of school (and my last day of homeschooling)

Gavin, our oldest grandson, served us our last-day-of-school breakfast at Chick-fil-A.

June 8: Graduation Day for Bekah and her friend Grace!!

On Graduation Day, we took this photo with ALL of our homeschool graduates! 

(Now I am retired.)

June 9: "Faux Father's Day" 

(because Ron and I would be out of town on true Father's Day)

My dad with his grils

June 10: Packing Day

Kati had begun a "Hope Chest" when she was a teenager. Over the years, her collection had grown to include "Hope Rubbermaid Boxes" in the attic and had also spilled over into the nooks and crannies of our house. Ryan named the moving truck "The Hope Truck."

June 11: Moving Day for Kati
Ron drove the U-Haul, and Kati and Andrew drove her car down south to her new home.

June 12: My travel day

I joined the group for a few days of settling in, planning, seeing the sights around Kati's new home . . .

and lots of good eating!

Kati and Andrew in front of their home.
(Andrew said that his neighbors will say,
"That guy must have gotten married because he has a pretty wreath on his door now." 🤣)

June 17: Back home
This is the remains of Bekah's bouquet from Kati's wedding.

I admit to feeling a bit like these wilted hydrangeas these days. It's been a month full of life-changing events.

When I posted the photo of the wilted bouquet on my Facebook page, my friend said these encouraging words to me:

"Dried hydrangeas are one of my favorites! One of the few flowers that take on a beauty of their own in times of 'wilt' . . . a wonderful reminder that going through this life we are transformed from our former glory into a new one!

It has been a month filled with beautiful moments, accomplishment, deep emotion, and change. 

Bittersweet. All of it.